Valerie Borman Blog – Going Solo

This month, I’ve booked a few solo gigs in my home state of PA. It’s been a while since I’ve performed as a single, but it’s quickly coming back to me how I do the job. While there are SO many single acts everywhere with a singer and an acoustic guitar –especially in Nashville – that’s not what I do. I wish sometimes that it was – it seems like it would be so much easier.

For years, I have worked with sequences and tracks. As the keyboardist for The Starlites, I spent years actually recording the sequences myself. Now THERE’S a time-consuming job!!! I started back in the days of my Ensoniq SQ-80 which only had 8-note polyphony. Graduating to Cakewalk and a sound module was a dream – and a nightmare – as cover tunes became more and more complex. (Do we really need 48-tracks of stuff going on??) I finally conceded to purchasing the sequences to make my life easier. But just having the sequences isn’t the whole deal – I spend a lot of time re-mixing the tracks, adding tracks and assigning outputs to get the best sound I can from this canned material.

If I had my choice – I would always play live. But the economy and my need for versatility put a damper on that option. As entertainment budgets tightened through the years, sequences gave our band the option to continue working with fewer band members on stage. I know – it sucks!! And as a single, I can work ANY room, gig, event, etc, because I am not limited to the type of material I can perform. So the setlist for my show includes country, rock, hip-hop, adult contemporary – and, YES! I will do all those genres in one set. Why not? I can – so I do!

ADDENDUM:

So far this month, I’ve packed my venues with friends and fans. Again, I would rather be performing live, with a full band, and I will be doing so in the coming months (it’s fair and festival season!!!) But the bottom line is I WANT TO BE ON STAGE. Singing with sequences allows me to work – so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! I’ve got to get to work!

See you at the show!

Valerie

Valerie Borman Blog – First Songwriting Credit

I’ve always said that I would rather perform in front of a million people than share anything that I’ve written lyrically – or musically for that matter. It is so easy for me to jump on stage and think nothing about performing. I have no anxieties or stage fright whatsoever. But the idea of sharing something that came from my head – or more personally, my heart – strikes a fear in me of no compare. It reminds me of the lyrics of “Breathe 2 a.m.” : “…..I feel like I’m naked in front of the crowd, cause these words are my diary screaming out loud….” REALLY – it feels THAT personal to me!!

But I am so proud to say that I’ve finally taken the plunge – or at least got my feet wet – thanks to the help of two very special guys at Restless Hands Music. Tom Williamson and Bill Fillson took me under their wings this month and with their tutelage and patience, helped me to find the courage to “open up.”

I met Tom when he was performing with The Midnight Special Band at the Walking Horse Hotel in Wartrace. If you’ve not yet checked out The Chais Music Hall there, you are missing out on a musical/acoustical experience. Furthermore – The Midnight Special Band rocks!! After sitting in with the band, Tom invited me to check out the studio at Restless Hands, and introduced me to the President, Bill Fillson. Tom and Bill are two of the nicest, most talented folks I’ve met in Nashville. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work with them.

In addition to penning a few lines in our co-write, I’ve also had the chance to sing on some song demos at the studio. I would LOVE to get into the demo market, and working with Tom and Bill is giving me some much needed experience in the recording booth. (For those of you who’ve never recorded – it’s NOTHING like performing live. I find recording vocals MUCH more difficult than performing live. Every slight “mistake” I make is captured digitally for all eternity – not that I make any flubs while singing! And there is no playing off the other musicians, or feeding from their energy – just a small booth with a mic in your face. It’s SO different from my 25 years stage experience.)

So now that I’m officially a songwriter, you’ll have to stop back to see/hear the finished products. I’ve got to head to PA for some performances, but when I return to TN, I’ll get back to the studio and pass the final product along to all of you!

See you at the show!

Valerie

Valerie Borman Blog – New Year

Happy New Year!!

I can’t believe that we’ve begun a new year and that it was over a year ago that I began my “Better Days” recording project. But here we are – it’s 2010, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to review this past year

The first half of 2009 is a blur in my memory. We were blazing through the process leading up to the recording of “Better Days.” We began in early spring with pre-production. It was weird being back in a studio – I’d much rather be on stage! But the pre-production days gave me an opportunity to get re-acclimated with the “sterility” – and loneliness – of the vocal recording booth.

During the whole time that I preparing for and recording “Better Days,” I was also responsible a major fundraising event in Pennsylvania. As a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, I had become involved with the Relay For Life of Northwestern Lehigh in 2007. If you are not familiar with Relay For Life, it is a 24-hour event that raises awareness and funds for cancer research. It involves teams and individuals who walk a track for 24 hours to represent the non-stop, 24/7 fight faced by cancer SURVIVORS (defined as anyone who lives one day with cancer.) For 2009, I was the Event Chair of the Relay scheduled at my high school alma mater. So each month, I would fly back to PA to head the event committee meetings. It was a HUGE responsibility to have on my shoulders at the same time that I was recording. It also made scheduling everything very difficult!

In April, we tracked at Oasis for four days straight! The majority of my vocal tracks were recorded during these tracking sessions. Some of the days were pretty long – and I was singing full-throttle the entire time!! From there, we headed over to The Tool Shed for a few overdub and bgv sessions and voila! – all the parts had been captured and my contribution was complete. Harry and Joey had the hard work now of mixing down the tracks, after which the CD was sent off to New York to be mastered. So while Harry and Joey burned the midnight oil, I headed back to PA for my Relay at which we raised over $20,000!!

The summer zoomed by, with a few gigs here and there. I had the opportunity to play in both PA and TN, with my own band and with my former group, The Starlites. It is always fun to return home to the musicians who also have been my family for my entire career. Since branching out on my own, I’ve learned that it is unusual to have only performed with one group – but that’s what I did and it was a great gig. But now I also have my own band – which is just as exciting as The Starlites are familiar.

By the fall, “Better Days” was FINALLY released, after the mechanical licensing odyssey from Hell. Although I was happy that the CD was now available, I had missed the opportunity to promote it at my gigs at home. And as winter approached, I made adjustments in my band which lead to my not booking gigs until that was all finalized.

For the holiday, I headed home to PA to spend some AWESOME time with my friends and family. It’s really tough to be away from them, but at the same time, I realize the incredible blessing I have in my career.

So it’s a new year and I’m back in TN. I’ve not made any Resolutions – I don’t believe in them. However, I can tell you that in the coming year, I do have some definite plans, first of which is to fill my performance schedule. I have spent my entire adult life on stage singing – and not being there every night is like not breathing. I also will be writing more music. While I have not yet unwrapped anything I have penned to date, I will very soon – you’ll have to check back!

Valerie Borman Blog – NOVEMBER To Do List

So I’ve got til the end of the year to write 3 songs – and to date I’ve never written a single thing.  It’s not for lack of trying; it’s just that I’m a perfectionist and I always want my first draft to be a hit!  I know how unrealistic that is, how could I let anyone hear a song I wrote unless I knew that it was really good?

As a singer, I know that I have nothing without songwriters.  Furthermore, I think that the writers of songs should get all the attention lavished upon the artists who perform them.  I remember reading an interview of Tim McGraw after the release of “Live Like You Were Dying.”  In the article Tim spoke of the death of his father, Tug, and the meaning behind “his” song – but he never even mentioned that he didn’t write it or give credit to Tim Nichols who did! I was flabbergasted!!!

I am so overawed with songwriters – I had pretty much convinced myself, “I could never do that!”  Well, I’ve got to overcome that notion now – there’s no room in my contract for psyching myself out!  So this month, I will be writing, writing, writing!!  I’ve been invited to write with Grammy-winning Songwriter, Duane Hitchings.  Yep – he’s got 18 gold and platinum albums – no pressure there!!

I can say that I am really excited to begin the songwriting process.  Although I’m still intimidated, I’m concentrating on the outcome – when I can perform a song that people love and think, “I CREATED that!”  You’ll have to check back to see how my writing venture is going!

Work.  Work.  Work.

I’ve worked professionally in the music business since I was a teenager.  (And that’s the reason I’m still a teenager!!)  I have had the most blessed career, working full-time as a musician for more than 20 years.  But I also had the good fortune to be a “big fish in a small pond.”  While there was an abundance of male vocalists in the Lehigh Valley, female vocalists were less plentiful – and GOOD female vocalists were even more of an endangered species.  So with the blessing of this incredible voice that God gave me, I was always able to make my living doing what I loved.

Things are now different for me.  I’ve jumped into a much larger pond and now I’m starting over.  Apparently, no one is impressed with 3 ½ octaves.  The idea of being able to emulate Celine Dion with ease is not even important.  Will I work for free or for tips?  That’s all anyone wants to know.

I realize that I have been spoiled.  I have played the most beautiful rooms.  I have been paid premium wages.  I have been around the world.  I don’t want to go back to smoke-filled bars filled with patrons who have no interest in the quality of my music or the level of my vocal skill.  And I can’t believe that is the state of the music business in Nashville.  This is MUSIC CITY for goodness’ sakes.  Shouldn’t the level of quality be greater all around?

I have found one venue that I think is a fit for me/my music.  I’ve met with Joe Peters at the Walking Horse Hotel in Wartrace, TN.  He designed his Chais Music Hall, named for his beloved wife who succumbed to cancer in 2007, to be the most acoustically perfect musical experience.  I will be sitting in with Joe’s band during November and performing with my own group in December.  So keep checking the calendar for those dates!!

In the meantime, I will be pounding the pavements of Nashville, looking for more venues in which I want to play.  Performances will be listed on my calendar page.  Sign up for my mailing list and you’ll be notified as soon as gigs are scheduled.  Then, if you’re in the area, you can stop by and pad the tip jar!!

See you at the show!

~ Valerie

Valerie Borman Blog – Better Days

Hey Everyone!!

Welcome to my new website! This website is just one of the many things happening right now for me and I am so excited!! In addition, I’ve got a new cd, a new band, new gigs….. so much is happening and you can hear all about it right hear on my website!!!

This website which has so much more to offer than my old website! First, there is a lot more information – and it will be current and changing constantly. I’ve got news, videos, blogs, podcasts, pix from each performance….. so you’ll have to be sure to stop back often.

Also, I (finally) have an official newsletter and if you haven’t done so yet – SIGN UP! You will get the latest news delivered to your inbox AND you will receive notifications of my events and gigs. You will even get a free song just for signing up! While you are at it – invite your friends to sign up as well!!

Speaking of gigs – this site has a much better calendar – check it out! You’ll see that I have gigs here in Nashville as well as back in PA. I will be continuing to perform in both places, so sign up for the newsletter and you won’t miss a single show (Don’t forget – you’ll also get that free song!)

So let’s talk about my other HUGE piece of news – the release of my new CD, “Better Days.” It’s finally availabel!!! It had been on hold because I was informed by the licensing agency that under no circumstances was I to reproduce (or even promote) the CD until I had obtained the “Mechanical Licenses” for the songs that I recorded. Here’s a brief tutorial! In order to duplicate and distribute a song that someone else has written, a recording artist needs to have the mechanical license for each song. Proper licensing essentially insures that the songwriter will be paid his or her royalties. That’s great – the songwriters definitely need to be protected – and PAID. However, the songs are actually owned/administered by publishing companies who also perform a variety of services for the songwriter. This is also great – songwriters need these services. But here is where it really gets messy: each song may be owned by several publishing companies who each only hold a percentage of the song. One of my tracks on “Better Days” lists SIX separate publishers. It took months to track down and obtain all the proper paperwork, but all that is behind me now and I have a brand new, AWESOME CD!!

If you don’t want to wait for a physical CD to be mailed to you, you can download the tracks right here on the website. Go to the store page for the details on how to get the songs RIGHT NOW!!

Thanks for stopping by! See you at the show!

Valerie